Our babysitter, Ana, took these photos. Watch as Max turns on the charm.

I love this picture because it shows Harry making friends at the park. Look at that face! How could you not want to be friends with him? (OK, maybe if you've played with him and he has stolen all the toys you have a different opinion, but we're working on that..)

Ahhh! I'm swinging!

My cheeks are now reacting to gravity. (Oh, I love having chubby cheeked babies.)

I want to cuddle this photo right now. Look at these chubby cheeks and the chubby fingers! That is why I am almost sad when he sleeps until 4 a.m. instead of keeping up with his middle-of-the-night wakeups that have been kicking my butt! While I feel happy that he's ALMOST sleeping through the night, I feel sad because this baby phase is so short in the grand scheme of things. (I may also be delusional after a year of sleep deprivation.) All worth it for this little guy though. Such a personality.

Some of you may know that I am writing the Explorer's Guide Illinois, coming to your local bookstore in Spring 2011. My deadline is Sept. 1 so we are deep into the research, travel and writing. With my talented navigator Rob, we recently explored Southern Illinois and Springfield and found many excellent places to visit. The boys were good sports overall, though both reached points where they refused to get buckled back into their carseats. We understood.You'll see some of our trip in the book but here are some funny shots:The city boy goes country.

Harry's pose cracks me up.And this one too. Totally all him. In front of the state capitol. "Should we talk about Abraham Lincoln, Mommy?" he asked before going to bed one night.